by French Davis
Mandy Harvey can flat out sing. Her feather-light tone and pitch-perfect approach place her in a fairly elite group of jazz musicians across the country, let alone ones that grew up in Longmont and attended college at CSU…and oh, by the way, she’s also deaf. Harvey wasn’t born that way; instead, she had her entire childhood and adolescence to build her dream of becoming a jazz singer before all sound was cut from her life. And then, she realized that while she couldn’t hear any longer, her voice worked, and there was no reason she couldn’t still sing. Now, she’s in heavy rotation at Fort Collins’ Jay’s Bistro and has been featured in JazzTimes. Here, she discusses perfect pitch, learning to sing twice and the freedom of deafness.
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August 2010
In the annals of the singer-songwriter genre, Colorado has had plenty come and go. Most trickle down from a creek of folky John Denver run-off, clad in denim, acoustic guitar in tow. John Common is nothing of the sort—he’s an educated music historian made up of equal parts Nick Drake, Miles Davis and Wilco. His latest outing, Beautiful Empty, is an under-produced gem featuring some of the finest players in Colorado, and one that stands out not only as a personal best but a sublime work, completely at home sandwiched between Ray LaMontagne and Tom Waites on your iPod. Here, he talks about assembling the A-Team of Colorado musicians, his rigorous exfoliating regimen and that awesome Chuck E. Cheese band.
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June 2010
by French Davis
Westminster resident Amy Little’s name might be diminutive, but she skates fast and hits like a giant. The loquacious Denver Roller Doll goes by the track name of Moira Lee Devoid. She was a founding member of the Mobile Roller Derby league in Alabama, before work brought her boyfriend out West, her and her skates in tow. Here, the bruiser peels back the curtain on the track, shows us her scars and explains how to do it “Denver style.”
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May 2010
by French Davis
Gregory Alan Isakov landed in Colorado by way of Philadelphia after his family emigrated to the U.S. from South Africa during the height of apartheid. The Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray loves him, as does pretty much every fan of the singer/songwriter genre from Pueblo to Fort Collins—and lots more across the country. Isakov’s poised on the brink of national recognition, thanks to a recent tour with Brandy Carlile, and another soon to follow. Here, he talks about Nick Drake, the ’80s and his passion for horticulture.
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February 2010
by French Davis
Josh Blue leapt onto the national scene with an irrepressible sense of charming, self-deprecating humor thanks to his win on Last Comic Standing’s fourth season run. The comedian’s ability to win over judges by poking fun at his own disability (he has cerebral palsy) was a juggernaut through the competition; since then, he’s made a career out of it, touring the country and performing on virtually every major network. Here, he talks about tying his shoes, making fun of Yo-Yo Ma and his aspirations to open a legal pot dispensary.
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January 2010
